North Korea prepares to unveil nuclear secrets
Updated
North Korea is today set to make an unprecedented disclosure of its nuclear activities. The declaration, which will be given to China, is a key part of Pyongyang's nuclear disarmanent deal in exchange for economic aid. And if it's true to its word, the United States will then take steps to remove North Korea from its list of nations which sponsor terrorism.
Presenter: Linda Lopresti
Speakesr: Joe Cirencione, nuclear policy expert; Dr Kenneth Quinones, part of the American negotiating team; Tom Casey, US State Department Deputy Spokesman; Christopher Hill, chief US envoy to the disarmament talks
LOPRESTI: In October 2006, North Korea defied international warnings and tested a nuclear weapon.
The explosion was so severe, neighbouring South Korea reported a four point magnitude seismic tremor.
Announcing the test, Pyongyang said it was conducted with 'indigenous wisdom and 100 percent technology.'
SFX - North Korea nuclear test
LOPRESTI: But it was universally condemned.
Then the blame game began, with many like nuclear policy expert Joe Cirencione pointing the finger at the United States in not doing enough to rein in the secretive and stubborn regime.
CIRENCIONE: We've been warning about this for years. We've been watching with some dismay as the current administration has completely failed in any kind of policy to prevent to prevent this from happening..
LOPRESTI: Washington then restarted the six party talks, including Japan, China, Russia and North and South Korea to find a peaceful solution to what was fast becoming the most dangerous threat to security in East Asia.
The success of those talks ebbed and flowed until 16 months ago when North Korea agreed as a first step to shut down its Yongbyon nuclear reactor.
It then agreed to abandon its nuclear facilities in exchange for much needed economic aid and improved diplomatic ties.
In true North Korean form, it missed its December 2007 deadline but today it's set to deliver an inventory of its
existing nuclear facilities.
QUINONES: I do believe the North koreans will submit a declaration, but I very much doubt that it will be a complete declaration of various nuclear programs and materials.
LOPRESTI: That's Dr Kenneth Quinones, he was the first US diplomat to visit North Korea, and part of the American negotiating team that resolved the first Korean nuclear crisis.
QUINONES: I am confident that North Korea will report that they have had a plutonium program based at their research centre at Yongbyon, they will probably declare that have produced in the area of 135-140 kilograms of plutonium, they have fabricated a number of nuclear weapons. But beyond that I do not expect them to go into such things as whether or not they have a highly enriched uranium program or other sensitive matters.
LOPRESTI: Nevertheless, the declaration is set to be handed over in Beijing with representatives of the six party talks present, including Christopher Hill, the chief US envoy to the disarmament talks.
HILL: The key element of the declaration is the North Koreans, in addition to laying out all of their facilities, they have to give us a verifiable figure of how much plutonium they have, and remember plutonium is really the heart of the game because that's the stuff they make bombs out of.
LOPRESTI: Once the document has been checked and double checked, the United States says it will deliver 950-thousand tons of fuel to Pyongyang and remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
North Korean expert Dr Kenneth Quinones believes Washington will make good on that promise.
QUINONES: I do see the White House proceeding with its decision to take North Korea off the terrorism list. Secretary of State Rice last week made a public speech in which she certified that. I would anticipate by mid to late August, we would see the Bush administration drop North Korea from eth terrorism list.
LOPRESTI: Before August, Washington will take steps to verify the declaration.
US State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey.
CASEY: "One thing that's extremely important to us is that we will use that 45 days as an opportunity to work on the verification process. And certainly there would be consequences in that process, should it be determined that North Korea is not complying with the verification terms."
LOPRESTI: Once the declaration is verified the third and final stage of denuclearisation will begin and that involves dealing with any nuclear weapons that North Korea may possess.
American intelligence reports suggest North Korea has stashed away enough plutonium to build up to six nuclear weapons and is capable of producing nuclear warheads for its ballistic arsenal.
Christopher Hill, the chief US envoy to the disarmament talks.
HILL: We're going to move to the next phase and one of the first things we're going to in the next phase is define the scope of the next phase, what are we going to try and accomplish in the next phase. So these six party talks are coming up soon and let's hope they can move the process along and get us to the end goal here which is de-nuclearisation.
LOPRESTI: Denuclearisation is still a long way off, but for now at least North Korea is eager to dance the diplomatic tango.
In a symbolic gesture, Pyongyang says it will blow up the cooling tower of its Yongbyon nuclear reactor in front of the world's press.
The government has invited CNN to film the event to prove its serious about moving forward in the long running nuclear dispute.
